Bossier City, LA—A civilian is dead after a natural gas pipeline exploded in a remote and mostly inhabited area. The explosion occurred on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 around 5:20 p.m., near the Union-Texas Road on the southeast side of Barksdale Air Force Base, as reported by the Shreveport Times.

The unidentified civilian who was killed in the blast was reportedly not employed by the Defense Department, but was authorized to be on the base. The identity of the deceased victim is currently being withheld. The blast occurred in the East Reservation area of the property in an underground pipeline that is filled with natural gas; it was not revealed what caused the explosion. The blast was apparently miles away from the air force base’s inhabited cantonment, runway and weapons storage area. The blast ignited a fire, in which military officials stated, “The fire is under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation.” No further details were released.

The area where the explosion occurred is reportedly leased through the Bureau of Land Management to private developers, which holds nearly 200 gas wells. Barksdale Air Force base is home to Headquarters, Eight Air Force (8 AF), the Air Force Global Strike Command, and is the host wing of the 2d Bomb Wing (2 BW) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).